Quanzhou, An ancient city packed with culture & history in Fujian

The twin pagodas, built in the 13th century, are two of the cultural gems at the heart of Quanzhou city. [Photo/China Daily]

Get away from the crowds in Xiamen and seek out the quieter pleasures in Quanzhou, a city with a rich maritime history that was once a melting pot of the world's religions. Sun Li tours Fujian province's lesser-known tourist attraction.

Many travelers visiting East China's Fujian province head straight for Xiamen, a seaside city widely regarded as the area's biggest tourist draw. But nearby Quanzhou, packed with culture and history, is just as worthy of your time.

Famous as the start of the Maritime Silk Road and the largest port in Asia during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, Quanzhou was once visited by legendary travelers, such as Marco Polo and Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta, who compared Quanzhou to the Egyptian port of Alexandria.

The Quanzhou Maritime Museum is an ideal place to learn about the harbor city's rich history.

Designed to resemble a sailing ship, the museum, one of very few maritime-themed museums in the country, offers free entry and a free tour guide.

The museum boasts a number of replicas of ancient boats, ranging from brigs and schooners to battleships from different dynasties.

Among them is a medium-sized boat featuring a host of cabins, built in the Song Dynasty by local Quanzhou shipbuilders. It is said to be one of the most popular vessels used for trade at that time.

Documents reveal that these boats, made in Quanzhou, carried Chinese silk, jade and porcelain to eastern Africa and the Mediterranean, and they returned with foreigners intent on doing business or preaching religion in China.

Not far from the maritime museum is the majestic Qingjing Mosque, another admirable example of Quanzhou's tolerance of the world's religions.

Also known as the Ashab Mosque, it was built to resemble a mosque in Damascus, Syria, in 1009, and it is one of the oldest Arab-style mosques in China.

The 20-meter-high arched gate made of green granite looks quite exotic as its domes are carved with lotus and Arabic scriptures.

Islamic preachers followed Arabic trade contacts to Quanzhou as early as the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), and the Ashab Mosque's worshipping hall later became the center of Islamic worship in the region.

Although the hall's large dome collapsed during an earthquake, the open-air, spacious and grassy field dotted with gigantic pillars still evokes an awe-inspiring sense of solemnity under the clear sky.

One of the country's largest statues of sage Lao Tzu sits at the Qingyuan Mountain. [Photo/China Daily]

The mosque is only a short drive away from the Kaiyuan Temple, the province's largest Buddhist temple.

The temple became the city's iconic landmark thanks to its two five-story pagodas that have survived earthquakes and harsh weather.

Both built in the 13th century, the twin pagodas feature lifelike cameos related to Buddhist mythology.

At the base of each pagoda, there are eight sculptures of bare-chested midgets, each demonstrating amazing craftsmanship. All sculptures are rather small, but they are varied in their expressions and gestures. While a midget bares his teeth in agony, another seems to hold his breath and exert all his strength.

Each story of the pagoda highlights sculptures of guardians, such as gods and Buddhist warriors.

Despite the overall similarity between the two pagodas, the sculpture of a monkey dressed like a monk, which is only found on the western pagoda, is a striking contrast.

Tradition has it that the monkey image on the fourth story of the western pagoda inspired Wu Cheng'en to create the Monkey King, the protagonist of his 16th-century epic fantasy novel Journey to the West.

That may or may not be true, but what we do know is that the TV series adapted from the literary classic shot one episode in this temple.

Kaiyuan Temple is situated in Xi Jie (West Street) and is close to Dong Jie (East Street); both are home to well-preserved distinctive arcade-buildings, and are perfect for leisurely exploration.

The two old streets offer a variety of tasty street foods, and last year A Bite of China, the popular show about Chinese cuisine, filmed in this area.

The Ashab Mosque is a witness to the city's past as a melting pot of the world's religions. [Photo/China Daily]

Do not hesitate to try paste noodles, a signature local dish that combines thread-like noodles, shrimps and clams in soup. The crisp oyster omelet is another must-try.

In the city's northern outskirt, Qingyuan Mountain is worth squeezing into your itinerary.

In addition to the numerous rocks and caverns, the leafy mountain boasts one of the country's largest statues of sage Lao Tzu, the founder of Chinese Taoism.

Built in the Song Dynasty and carved out of a rock, the big-eared statue is 5.6 meters high, 6.85 meters thick and 8 meters wide.

The statue sits in a cross - legged position and seems to be smiling. Such craftsmanship has given the statue a serene and carefree charm that makes it a symbol of longevity long respected by local people.

Touring Quanzhou is relaxing and eye-opening. Being a less popular destination than Xiamen has a silver lining, as the lack of other tourists makes visiting the city an undoubtedly more enjoyable experience.

After a long day of sightseeing, visitors can wind down by enjoying one of the free performances of Nanyin music in several parks in the evening. It is a traditional opera sung in the Minnan - southern Fu - jian - dialect that has existed for more than 1,000 years.

Quanzhou has recently been designated as an "East Asia City of Culture", and the city has been working on popularizing the city's many traditional art forms, including the ancient music genre, which was listed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

A series of Nanyin performance activities that draw participants from all over the world will take place later this year.